


i will never stop choosing you

by danverspotsticker



Series: soft and kind, tara survives, verse [2]
Category: Buffy the Vampire Slayer (TV)
Genre: F/F, featuring seven cats of which i only mention a few of but they all exist
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-08-11
Updated: 2020-08-11
Packaged: 2021-03-06 03:08:56
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 6,322
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25836274
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/danverspotsticker/pseuds/danverspotsticker
Summary: willow and tara get married.
Relationships: Angel/Buffy Summers, Jenny Calendar/Rupert Giles, Tara Maclay/Willow Rosenberg, Xander Harris/Anya Jenkins
Series: soft and kind, tara survives, verse [2]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1900225
Comments: 6
Kudos: 28





	i will never stop choosing you

**Author's Note:**

> they aren’t mentioned explicitly but please know all of angel investigations are at the wedding, including alive and happy fred and cordy

If you asked her, Tara Maclay would tell you she planned it months in advance, years even. Technically, she did. She’s had the ring sitting at the bottom of her sewing kit for years, she knew Willow (and Dawn) wouldn’t be able to find it there. She’s known she’s wanted to marry Willow since probably their first actual date. She’s known Willow wants to marry her since the conversation they had a few years ago where they both discussed, in detail, how much they trusted one another and themselves and the relationship they’ve built and where their limits were. Tara’s limits then had been in the idea of a lifelong commitment when there were occasionally days when she would feel the familiar twinge of fear when Willow would seem more secretive than usual. 

Tara always has that year in the back of her mind, Willow manipulating her and then nearly destroying the world after her own near death. It’s taken time, but they’re stronger and so in love and Tara can say with certainty that she wants to spend her life next to Willow. There’s also the added plus of most of the state governments supporting that decision now. So, she bought a ring. She had plans for a dinner or maybe getting Xander and Buffy to help or going back to Sunnydale even though it’s a big crater. She had plans, but Willow has always been quite the interruption. 

It’s a Friday night and Tara always gets home earlier than Willow on Fridays so she figures she’ll repair a few of Willow and her shirts that have gotten torn or have had buttons come off due to monster fighting and… other things. She’s quietly humming along to the music playing from her phone as she stitches one of Willow’s go to apocalypse shirts when she hears the front door open. Though she knows Willow already knows where she is, she still calls out, “I’m in the office.”

Willow walks through the door and offers Tara a beaming smile, “Hey, honey.”

Tara smiles, though she doesn’t look up as she finishes the last couple stitches of the shirt she’s holding. She feels Willow press against the back of her chair and lean down to press a kiss against the top of her head. “I didn’t see you today.”

Tara snorts, “We had breakfast together…”

Willow sighs dramatically, “But I didn’t see you at the Council, you left me alone to deal with Giles  _ and _ Kennedy all by myself.”

Tara laughs and turns her body to face Willow. “You can handle both of them fine.”

Willow shrugs. “Still, I missed you. And the Council was more fun when Faith was still the head slayer.”

Tara smiles, “I’ll tell her you said that.”

Willow glares jokingly. “She won’t believe you.”

Tara stands up and wraps her arms around Willow. “I missed you too. Dawn says hi.”

Willow pulls back for a moment, “You went to visit Dawn today?”

Tara nods and Willow shakes her head. “What?”

Willow kisses Tara. “It’s a six hour drive there and back...”

Tara smiles, “She needed help.”

Willow’s face darkens, “Is that girl messing with her feelings again because Anya and I will…”

Tara kisses her, and Willow happily stops talking. When Tara pulls away, Willow has forgotten what she was talking about and looks down at the desk Tara stood up from. “Shirt!”

Tara smiles and nods, “I had some free time since I got home early. Does it look okay?”

Willow smiles and nuzzles her face into Tara’s neck. “You’re the best girlfriend.”

Tara doesn’t mean to say it, she doesn’t even mean to think it. But Willow is standing in front of her in their shared home office. The walls are decorated with plants and both of their degrees and pictures of the family they both helped build from scratch and there’s three different cat towers in this room alone and Tara just loves her, so she says, “I could be your wife.”

Willow hums in agreement but Tara pulls back to dig her hand into her sewing bag, ignoring the small scratches she feels from errant sewing needles. When she pulls her hand out, there’s a relatively simple ring in her hand, but the gems are a soft blue. Willow’s eyes widen and she runs out of the room. Tara, confident enough in her relationship to know Willow isn’t running away from a conversation, calls after her, “You could’ve just said no.”

Willow’s voice is louder than it needs to be, coming from the direction of their bedroom, slightly muffled. “I am saying  _ yes!! _ I want to be your wife, I want you to be my wife - I…  _ Trixie please get out of the way _ . Just give me a minute!”

Tara waits, fiddling with the ring in her hands and trying to wipe the tears from her eyes and the smile from her face. She’s startled by a large orange cat sprinting past the doorway. “ _ Willow _ .”

Willow appears in the door. “It wasn’t me! I moved one of the boxes she’s claimed as a house and now she’s mad at me.”

Tara snorts and smiles. “She’s always mad at you.”

Willow nods. “And that’s why Egg is my favourite.”

Tara’s smile widens but her eyes form a mock glare. “You’re not supposed to play favourites, the others will feel unloved.”

Willow rolls her eyes teasingly. “There’s more of them than us, they’re the ones playing favourites. Egg is the only one who likes me.”

Tara kisses Willow’s pout away and Willow spots the ring again and her eyes widen. “Oh!  _ Why do you let me do that?” _

Tara just laughs and says, “I think it’s cute, and you already agreed to marry me so I’m pretty content waiting for your brain to catch back up.”

Willow smiles and looks down the hall to where a crash sounds out and grimaces. “We might have too many cats.”

Tara looks earnestly offended. “We do not.”

Willow tilts her head, “Are you sure? Because I had to get Trixie, Egg,  _ and _ Sander to move just to get into our closet.”

Tara smirks and Willow already hates the words coming out of her mouth. “Aw, honey. Me proposing made you want to go back in the closet?”

Willow groans. “I take it back… I don’t want to marry you.”

The splitting grin on her face as she says it gives away the statement’s insincerity. Tara kisses her fiancée. “What was in the closet?”

Willow reaches into her pocket and pulls out a small piece of jewellery. Tara tilts her head, the tears returning to her eyes. “Willow…”

Willow smiles, her eyes mirroring Tara’s. “What? You think I haven’t kept a ring around since like the day we met?”

Tara snorts but holds her hand out as Willow does the same and they slip their rings onto each other’s fingers. “You were still straight the day we met.”

Willow laughs as tears start to fall down her face. “I still probably would’ve married you.” 

Tara pulls her in and they kiss. Willow starts laughing against her mouth and Tara pulls back, confused. Willow keeps laughing and her face is beaming. “We’re getting married.”

Tara leans her forehead against Willow’s and hums happily, “We’re getting married.”

They both pull back at the same time with wide eyes and say, “I’m not telling Dawn!”

*

They make the decision to keep it to themselves for now. Their friends know they never plan on separating and this way they can pick venues and dates before they have to deal with the social exhaustion that is their very lovely and very sweet but also very  _ excitable _ family. So, no one knows that Tara is Willow’s fiancée, even though they’d both love to scream it from the rooftops. It’s not hard to keep a secret, they’re acting the same as always, and they don’t wear their rings since they don’t want to get them dirty or lost while at work. 

But it’s the semi-monthly game night, and this time the scoobies, both central and extended, have crowded into their living room and are shouting through stomach clenching and scream-laughing games of charades and pictionary. Tara is in the kitchen, throwing together some snacks and watching her family in their happiest moments and watching how Willow is so beautiful, especially as she laughs at the way Angel is fawning over Salem, their cliché black kitten that Willow brought home when the local rescue called. Buffy catches Tara and rolls her eyes at their respective loved ones and Tara snorts. 

Dawn, who is grabbing drinks from the fridge, catches the noise and follows Tara’s line of sight. Smiling but sighing dramatically, she says, “Could you turn the yearning down by, like, a thousand? This problem could be solved if one of you would just propose already…”

Tara tries to school her face but she can’t hide the way she turns red and looks straight down at the plate in front of her. Dawn gasps loudly and excitedly, drawing the attention of the crowd in the living room, “Oh my god!!”

Willow is already standing, worried. “What’s wrong?!”

Dawn is staring wide eyed between the two of them and pointing, “You… and you…”

Willow calms down once she realizes what’s happening. She looks at Tara, “You told her?”

Faith interrupts, “Break-up, engagement, or baby?”

Jenny kicks Faith as Xander laughs. Dawn squeals over the noise as she sprints across the room to bowl into Willow, hugging her. Anya clears her throat, “I’m assuming that means it’s not a break-up?”

Tara nods as she walks over to the living room. “We’re engaged.”

The room breaks out into excited chatter and Tara just smiles at Willow through the chaos. Xander’s voice breaks through the noise, “You finally did it?”

It’s directed at Willow and it causes Tara to raise her eyebrows. Xander catches this and clears his throat, “Just kidding, please respect me in this time as I take a moment to extract my foot from my mouth…”

Jenny snorts and nudges Giles, “Pay up.”

Tara and Willow both look at them. Jenny shrugs, “Sorry, Will. But I’ve known Tara was going to be the one to pull it together enough to propose since you introduced her to us.”

Giles just grimaces as he hands his wife two twenty dollar bills.  _ “I  _ was on your side.”

Tara laughs and Willow rolls her eyes. “ _ I had a ring.” _

Anya beams, “But Tara doesn’t have years of guilt built up that would make her think that proposing would be too big of a step to take.”

Tara tenses, but Willow just laughs. Dawn is still just standing in front of them, bouncing in excitement. Tara sees the millions of questions behind her eyes and nods for her to ask, Dawn takes the offer. “When did it happen? Have you started planning? Where is it going to be? Can I dress the cats up?”

Willow is smiling as Buffy grabs her sister’s arm to get her rapid fire questions to stop. Tara interlaces her fingers with Willow’s as she answers, “A couple months ago. We have. The gardens on Dire Street. And if you can dress the cats up without becoming a victim of attempted murder, go for it.”

Dawn glares and says, “A couple months?”

Willow laughs. “Well, now you guys just get to do the fun part with dresses and making sure you’re covered for when the wedding happens and you don’t have to see us go insane hoping we get the venue we want or the caterers we hope for.”

Dawn grunts, “Sure, but you still should’ve told me.”

Angel smiles at the interaction as he keeps juggling the cat in his arms. Buffy slips to sit down next to him and she says, “I’m not going to cry because I am an adult who can handle emotions but I’m so happy for you two!”

Dawn grumbles, “It took you two long enough.”

But her eyes are smiling, and as the room continues to congratulate them, Tara buries her face in Willow’s neck, overwhelmed by the feeling of family that she once thought she’d never feel. 

*

Willow was the one who went first. They flipped a coin to determine who would have to go first because neither of them really cared that much, but right now, Willow is very glad she is standing in one place because if she had to look at Tara right now and try to walk at the same time, she doesn’t think she could do it. 

She’s always thought Tara was beautiful, obviously. She loves Tara in the middle of Scooby hunting nights covered in random demon slime and after work when she falls asleep on the couch after having to deal with the baby slayers all day and when it’s 2am and she gets up to help whichever cat decides it’s time to start screaming. Tara is the most beautiful woman in the world. But looking at her with her hair pulled back and in such a pretty dress and smiling  _ that way _ at her, Willow is about five seconds from collapsing. 

Willow feels a nudge from next to her and Buffy whispers, “Woah… if I was still straight I wouldn’t be anymore.”

As she gets closer, Tara hears it and laughs along with Willow and Buffy. Dawn glares at Buffy from next to Tara as they reach the end of the aisle and Dawn releases Tara’s arm to stand next to Faith and Anya. Willow is still staring at Tara in awe as they join hands and Jenny clears her throat. This grabs Willow’s attention and she sees Jenny blinking rapidly, Willow snorts but is smiling warmly at her. Jenny shakes her head, “I’m fine, I’m just proud and I’ve gotta pull it together if I want to get through this without crying.”

Tara blushes and looks down until she feels Willow squeeze her hand. Tara can vaguely hear Giles teasing Jenny from beside Willow but is lost as she watches Willow mouth the words,  _ You look beautiful. _

Tara smiles widely and mouths,  _ You, too. _

Willow goes to shake her head but Tara just squeezes her hands. Jenny finally starts, “So, obviously you guys know Willow and Tara if you’re here today. To skip through the _ official stuff _ , no one is giving either of them away since they’re adult women. But we’re all here today because we’ve played a part in their lives together so far and since neither of them were willing to let  _ me  _ give a toast at the reception later, I will be doing it now.”

Tara laughs and Willow rolls her eyes. Jenny ignores her. “I’ve known Willow since she was still tiny and straight.”

Willow clears her throat and there’s a distinct deep laugh in the seating area as Jenny makes eye contact with Oz. “Not the point… but as long as I’ve known Willow, she’s never been able to see the best of herself as well as when Tara has shown it to her.”

Willow looks down and Tara tilts her head and squeezes her hands. Willow looks back up, her eyes are wet and she’s blinking trying to keep the tears from falling. Jenny continues, “I haven’t known Tara as long, but she makes everyone around her their best selves. I’ve never met anyone as brave as her, she’s taught me so much about how to love people.”

Tara looks down. Jenny doesn’t stop, “And she still doesn’t seem to see how amazing she is. But I know Willow has spent so much of their time together trying to show her. That’s one of the reasons I’m so glad they chose me to officiate. Because I get to help them ensure that as they help each other and love each other, they’ll have legality supporting that choice.”

Willow scrunches up her nose and Jenny laughs, “If you thought I wasn’t going to get political, that’s on you.”

Tara smiles at both of them and Jenny focuses. “But, genuinely, the ability you two have to help each other heal and become the best versions of yourselves, is one of the greatest things I’ve had the pleasure of witnessing.”

Willow smiles at Tara and she recognizes it as the I Don’t Want To Cry But It’s Going to Happen one and Tara imagines her face probably looks similar as she looks at her soon-to-be-wife.

Jenny coughs. “So, now the exciting part.”

Jenny turns slightly to Tara and says. “Tara, your vows?”

Tara smiles widely at Willow. “With these vows, I choose you, Willow Rosenberg. To spend the rest of my life with, to raise as many stray cats as you bring home, and to always love you. I will stand by you from this day forward, in apocalypses and Sunday dinners, when we have jobs and when the council is our only source of income, under curses and fighting demons, until death do we part. Supernatural forces notwithstanding.”

Willow is bouncing on her toes as Tara finishes speaking and Jenny smirks. “Before you fall over: Willow, your vows?”

Willow beams as she begins to speak. “With these vows, I choose you, Tara Maclay. To spend the rest of my life with, to always laugh at your jokes especially if they only make sense to you, and to always love you. I will stand by you from this day forward, in apocalypses and Sunday dinners, when we have jobs and when the council is our only source of income, under curses and fighting demons, until death do we part. Supernatural forces notwithstanding.”

Jenny smiles at the crowd in front of her as Faith and Xander both step forward to hand the rings to Willow and Tara. “Willow and Tara will now exchange rings. In a typical wedding these would just be symbols of their love, but in this case, each of their rings are enchanted so that they are able to find each other in times of fear and trouble.”

Tara respectfully ignores the sniffling she hears coming from Faith. Jenny nods. “Tara, please take Willow’s hand and repeat these words; I give you this ring as a symbol of our love,”

Tara does, as she lines up the ring with Willow’s finger, “I give you this ring as a symbol of our love.”

Jenny continues, “For today and tomorrow, and all the days to come,”

So does Tara, her smile only growing as she speaks, “For today and tomorrow, and all the days to come,”

Jenny tries to shove down the softness welling up in her as she says, “Wear it as a sign of what we have promised on this day, and what we can always find in each other.”

Tara repeats, “Wear it as a sign of what we have promised on this day, and what we can always find in each other.”

“And know that my love is present,” Jenny says, “Even when I am not”

Tara’s smile threatens to split her face as she finishes, “And know that my love is present, even when I am not.”

She pushes the ring onto Willow’s finger and lets her hand settle against Willow’s for a moment, stroking her hand as she watches Willow blink away tears through her own wet eyes.

Jenny sniffs and turns her head for a moment. “Okay, Willow, please take Tara’s hand and repeat these words: I give you this ring as a symbol of our love,”

As she lines up the ring with Tara’s finger, in a spout of Willowbabble, she says, “I give you this ring as a symbol of our love.”

Jenny snorts but continues, “For today and tomorrow, and all the days to come,”

Willow’s words are slightly more calm, but the excitement behind them remains, “For today and tomorrow, and all the days to come,”

Jenny speaks slower this time, as if teasing Willow, “Wear it as a sign of what we have promised on this day, and what we can always find in each other.”

Willow repeats, though faster than Jenny’s words, “Wear it as a sign of what we have promised on this day, and what we can always find in each other.”

Jenny returns to her normal speech pattern, speaking softly as she finishes, “And know that my love is present, even when I am not”

Willow has pushed the ring onto Tara’s finger already and is squeezing her hand by the time she says, “And know that my love is present, even when I am not.”

Jenny smiles and speaks, “Now, Tara Maclay, do you take Willow Rosenberg to be your wife, for all of your days?”

Tara breathes it like it’s her salvation, “ _ Yes, _ I do.”

Jenny’s smile widens as she looks to Willow. “Willow Rosenberg, do you take Tara Maclay to be  _ your _ wife, for all of your days?”

Willow barely lets Jenny finish before she says,  _ “ _ I do!”

Her hands are still entwined with Tara’s and Tara can feel them fluttering anxiously in her grasp until she gives them a quick and calming squeeze and Willow’s stop moving, only squeezing back. Jenny smiles. “By the power vested in me by the odd combination of the internet, Althenea of the Devonshire Coven, and the state of Ohio, I now pronounce you wives, -”

Willow interrupts her, “Can I kiss her now?”

Tara laughs and Jenny’s smile brightens, “You can kiss her now.”

Willow wraps her arms around Tara’s waist, pulling her in and pressing her lips swiftly against her  _ wife’s. _ Tara smiles into the kiss, letting her hands rest on Willow’s neck. It’s chaste, and quick. Not quite the kiss Willow wants to give Tara in that dress, but they’re still private, they always have been. Willow pulls back and the two of them wear matching smiles and wet eyes as Jenny says, “For the first time, “Mrs. and Mrs. Rosenberg-Maclay!”

It’s met with the applause of the attendees, and several hugs from behind from the wedding party. And one shrill, but extremely excited, “You didn’t tell me about your names!!” From Dawn.

*

Tara knows that this is her wedding and that she’s getting married to Willow and it’s obviously a fact that she finds her attractive, but she still grows embarrassed at the way that she feels her face turn red when she sees Willow in the suit she’s wearing. The suit that Tara hadn’t been told about. The suit that Tara definitely should’ve been told about if she’s to be expected to wait until the reception is over to pull Willow away and do things that are explicitly inappropriate for a public space. 

Willow looked beautiful during the ceremony, her hair was down and her white dress was astounding and Tara teared up at the sight of her. But, now Willow is wearing a suit that fits her very well and there’s a long tie and Tara is just very, very much a lesbian, especially when her  _ wife _ is involved.

Willow walks up to her and offers her hand. “My dance?”

Tara takes it. “You didn’t tell me you have a suit.”

Willow smiles at her as they start to sway as the soft music grows slowly louder. “You did so much of the planning that you already knew everything, I figured I could save one thing as a surprise.”

Tara hums and lets her hands raise to rest on Willow’s shoulders and lets them run down the lapels of the white jacket to pull her closer as Willow’s hands fall to her hips. “It’s a very nice surprise.”

Willow smirks. “Oh, you like it? I couldn’t tell…”

Tara lightly swats Willow’s shoulder and Willow just keeps smiling. “I love you, Mrs. Rosenberg-Maclay.”

Tara’s smile grows bigger. “Are we going to be one of those couples now?”

Willow nods as she slowly spins Tara. “You’re never going to hear your name from me again, you’re _my_ _wife_ and my Mrs, no other terms exist.”

Tara’s smile softens as Willow pulls her back in. “I love you, too, Mrs. Rosenberg-Maclay.”

Willow smiles and Tara pulls her in and kisses her. When they pull back Willow’s eyes are wet. Tara tilts her head. “Honey…”

Willow laughs. “I’m tired of crying but I’m so happy and you look so beautiful and you’re actually my wife and all of our friends are here and Giles helped me get a suit and Anya keeps threatening me if I hurt you and…”

Tara keeps smiling and Willow stops her own babble. “I just love you a lot. And I’m so grateful that I met you and that you love me and that all of our friends get to be here.”

Tara leans in to kiss Willow’s temple. “Me too.”

Willow snorts. “It’s probably a good thing we told Jenny we wanted mostly traditional vows, because otherwise it would’ve been me talking for hours and then you just being short and sweet and actually making narrative sense.”

Tara snorts and just wraps one of her hands around Willow’s, rubbing her thumb over the two rings on her finger. “Willow, if I talked about all the reasons I love you I don’t think I’d ever stop talking.”

Willow blushes and shakes her head. “You’re the most amazing person I know.”

Tara smiles. “I would hope so since you just married me.”

Neither of them notice that their first song has ended as the music moves into the next until Xander taps Willow on the shoulder. “I hate to break this up, but could I cut in?”

Tara goes to step away as she nods but Xander stops her, “Oh, I wanted to dance with you! Not Will, that might end with us kissing.”

Willow snorts. “Maybe not a great joke to make at my wedding, Xan.”

Xander shrugs. “You made it at mine…”

Willow smiles and kisses Tara on the cheek. “I’ll be back.”

Tara nods as Xander takes her hands. As they start to dance, Xander wiggles his eyebrows. “You’re officially a Rosenberg now.”

Tara smiles but corrects him, “A Rosenberg-Maclay.”

Xander smiles and Tara respectfully ignores when he looks to the side and attempts to subtly wipe away the tears in his eyes. “Can I ask about the names or do you not want to talk about it?”

Tara shrugs. “Willow doesn’t love being a Rosenberg because her parents are ignorant and absent at best. And the only Maclay that feels like me was my Mom, and Willow doesn’t want to have a name that hurts me sometimes and I don't want to have a name that hurts her sometimes. So, y’know, we combined them. We’re the first Rosenberg-Maclays we know, so we get to have all new stuff and no terrible memories buried in the names.”

Xander nods, “The Rosenbergs certainly have their skills in being absent. And the only family that has any place in your life is here, though I am still very willing to hunt down the man who calls himself your brother.”

Tara smiles but shakes her head. “Thanks, Xander.”

“Speaking of, were the parents not invited or did they just not want to come, I didn’t wanna ask Will in case they’re being assholes?”

Tara tilts her head and nods to where Jenny is dramatically dipping Giles in the middle of the dance floor, “The only parental figures that matter are right there. But Sheila knows about the wedding, it was a combination of not technically being invited and her also being busy. But Willow didn’t want her here.”

Xander nods. “Good, because Jenny and Sheila in the same room is never good news for Jenny  _ not _ attempting murder.”

Tara laughs and a look of pondering crosses her face for a moment. “If I wasn’t currently at  _ our _ wedding, I’d be concerned about this ‘Sarah’ woman that Sheila seems to think Willow is in a committed relationship with.”

Xander’s eyes widen, “Still? It’s been like seven years.”

Tara shrugs, “She still calls Buffy  _ Bunny _ , and only stopped calling you Alec when you and Will were in freshman year, it’s not important.”

Xander looks over to their wives as he starts to laugh and Tara laughs too as she sees both of their eyebrows furrowed as they argue. Xander sees the source of the argument. “Anya’s definitely leading, right?”

Tara laughs harder and nods, “That she is.”

Xander’s eyes turn soft as he stares at their shared girls. “She’s my best friend.”

Tara smiles, “Mine too, whoever you’re talking about.”

Xander smiles, looking back at Tara. “I’m sorry for being an ass for so long.”

Tara shakes her head, “I thought we agreed you should stop apologizing for that.”

Xander shrugs. “Just, you’re kind of an amazing person. You’re one of my favourite people, even, and I spent so long not knowing that because I was a homophobic jerk.”

Tara smiles and leans into him, shoving him with her shoulder. “We can’t help how we’re raised to see the world. We get to change, and you did, and in terms of homophobia, not getting to know your best friend’s girlfriend isn’t that terrible a crime.”

Xander shrugs, “Well, thank god for near death experiences, right?”

Tara looks down as she laughs, she looks back at the remaining scar around Xander’s now regrown eye and remembers the searing pain in her chest. “Something like that…”

Xander chuckles and ducks his head. “At the risk of coming off as a dork, I’m very glad Willow met you.”

Tara smiles, “Me too. I’m pretty sure she saved my life.”

Xander looks over at Willow and Anya who have settled into relative peace, though their movements stutter every few steps as one of them tries to pull the other in a different direction. He remembers feeling trapped in his life and in his parent’s basement and the way Anya made escaping it seem so much more important. He smiles back at Tara. “I get the feeling.”

*

Angel arrives at the reception a little late, the sun seemed more stubborn than usual to set. Looking for the brides, he spots Willow finishing a dance with Xander and decides to cut in. Xander spots him before Willow, “Dead boy!”

Angel rolls his eyes. “You’re not funny.”

Xander shrugs, “I could be worse things.”

The words are teasing, much more soft than they would be even a year ago. Angel lets them roll off his back. “Is it okay if I cut in?”

Willow smirks, “Of course, I’m sure the two of you would have a great dance.”

Angel snorts. “Not what I meant.”

Willow takes his hands, “We can dance, but I’m leading.”

Angel nods, and Willow looks over to where Tara and Buffy are dancing, while Dawn tries to cut in. Angel smiles genuinely. “I’m proud of you.”

Willow blushes, “Oh, well…”

Angel shakes his head. “No well, I remember after Sunnydale turned into a hole and you guys had to come stay with us and you were terrified that Tara wasn’t going to be able to forgive you fully.”

He shrugs, “I just, I get how hard that can be - the needing forgiveness but not being guaranteed it. And you chose to keep loving her and trying anyway.”

Willow smiles as she lifts her arm and forces Angel to spin under it. “Redemption isn’t so bad when there’s a pretty blonde who’s willing to put up with your brooding.”

Angel shakes his head as they readjust. “I don’t know…”

Willow shakes hers back. “I do. Whenever you decide you’ve sorted your stuff out enough that you and Buffy could have a shot at a good and healthy relationship, let me know. I’m kinda the resident expert on your soul and between Jenny’s family knowledge and my  _ wife’s _ magic knowledge, we can probably figure out something so you can be, y’know. Happy.”

Angel’s eyes are bright as he considers it, “Maybe a conversation for not your wedding?”

Willow laughs. “Definitely, more of a conversation for you and Buffy, with me as an afterthought.”

Angel smiles and nods. “Thank you for the invitation.”

Willow blows air out of her nose, “Well… you vampires and your invitations.”

Angel smirks, “I’m serious, I know we don’t -”

Willow shakes her head, “You’ve always been my favourite of Buffy’s ex’s, don’t make me replace you with Faith.”

Angel tilts his head, “They never… did they?”

Willow shakes her head, “Not my business, but Riley and Spike aren’t getting the spot.”

“Buffy mentioned that you chose to have the reception at night because of me and that’s…” He blinks, emotional.

Willow saves him from having to continue, “You were one of many factors. There’s also the fact that I get sunburn in two seconds flat and Tara’s allergies are worse during the day. You’re not special, mister.”

Angel smiles warmly, “Thank you.”

Willow smiles back. “It’s no big.”

As the song slowly changes the two of them stop dancing, Angel leans in to kiss Willow on the cheek. “You look very dapper.”

Willow blushes, “You’re wasting your charms on the wrong Scooby.”

Angel nods, “You’re right, let me go find Xander again.”

Willow snorts and watches him stalk off, presumably not to find Xander, and jumps when she feels a hand on her shoulder. Her heart starts beating quickly for a different reason when she sees that the hand belongs to her wife. “Hey, baby.”

Tara smiles, wrapping her arms around Willow’s neck, pulling her in for a quick kiss before she says, “I’m so in love with you.”

Willow is bright red. “That was quite the greeting.”

Tara laughs. “It’s our wedding.”

Willow laughs with her. “It is.”

Tara kisses her again, and Willow kisses back until her splitting smile interrupts her ability to kiss. Tara pulls back and they both smile at each other as they slow dance. Willow savours the way Tara starts humming along to the lyrics, hoping that if she doesn’t say something it’ll turn into soft singing. Tara catches the looks Willow is giving her. “You know I’ll sing for you anytime you ask.”

Willow blushes. “I don’t wanna ask, it’s cuter when you just start singing.”

Tara shakes her head, “You’re  _ so _ needy.”

Willow laughs, “And I’m your wife, tending to my neediness is one of the things you agreed to, forever.”

Tara smiles widely, “That I did.”

Willow smiles back and they keep dancing. Tara listens silently to the music for a moment before she breaks their quiet bubble. 

_ “I'll never stop trying _

_ I'll never stop watching as you leave _

_ I'll never stop losing my breath _

_ Every time I see you looking back at me” _

Realizing what Tara’s doing, Willow just smiles and remains quiet. Enamoured by her beautiful and amazing wife.

_ “I'll never stop holding your hand _

_ I'll never stop opening your door _

_ I'll never stop choosing you babe _

_ I'll never get used to you” _

Tara stops, and smiles at Willow. “Is that good enough?”

Willow shakes her head. “Nope… I demand an encore. The music was too loud, I couldn’t get the full Tara Maclay Experience…”

Tara smiles, “That’s Rosenberg-Maclay to you.”

Willow laughs. “Oh, yeah. I can’t wait to hear that for the rest of forever.”

Tara hums. And Willow pulls her closer until they’re both just hugging each other and swaying.

  
  


*

Tara spots a familiar face along the dance floor at a table once Buffy has cut in to dance with Willow. She sits down next to Angel and says, “At risk of sounding like a thank you card; thank you for coming.”

Angel looks at her and Tara thinks the face he makes counts as a smile. “Willow mentioned that one of the reasons you had the reception at night was because of me, of course I came.”

Tara just nods and Angel’s eyes widen as he realizes, “Oh, I don’t mean that I  _ had _ to -”

Tara just smiles at him, patting his hand on the table as she cuts him off. “I know.”

Angel shrugs as Tara sits next to him. He’s not uncomfortable, he likes Tara a lot, they just never seem to have enough to say to each other. Scared that Tara might think the silence is awkward, he asks, “How is your wedding going?”

Tara lets out a breathless laugh. “I’m  _ married to Willow _ , and she looks so beautiful, and my entire family is here.”

Angel, looking in the same direction Tara is, where their loved ones are taking turns spinning each other to the fast paced song that’s playing, smiles. “Yeah.”

Tara smiles too. “But it’s exhausting, and I’m looking much more forward to getting to spend the rest of my life with Willow than I am to spending the rest of tonight being social, y’know?”

Tara knows Buffy and Angel have a lot of things to work through, but she watches the way Angel’s eyes never leave Buffy and she smiles to herself. Angel just hums and says, “Yeah, I know.”

Tara believes him.

  
  


***

bonus

***

  
  
  
  
  
  


Willow’s heart is beating frantically as she watches the rock-like demon grab the woman in front of her. She calls forth her magic and thrusts it forwards with her hands as she yells,  _ “THAT’S MY WIFE!” _

The demon smashes into the wall and doesn’t get up. Tara stands up from it’s grasp and looks up passively, though there’s a slight smile on her face. “Really, Will?”

Xander walks up next to her and bumps her on the shoulder, “Told you it’s fun to say.”

Anya who is collecting the gem they were supposed to be getting from the body of the demon rolls her eyes, “You’re both exhausting.”

Willow looks over to Tara’s teasing eyes. “What? You’re  _ my wife _ , it’s my biggest accomplishment. I’m going to brag about that to everyone who listens.”

Tara shakes her head but she still smiles and pulls Willow in for a quick kiss. 

  
  
  


**Author's Note:**

> we’re gonna ignore the fact that i use the song never stop by safetysuit it’s because i’m gay and it used to be in all my young gay playlists Look Away


End file.
